Pony Racing. Give it a try! By Michael Webber
There are two different organisation to race with, the Pony Club and Point to Point. Both enable the top riders to qualify for the Charles Owen series which is really for mini thoroughbreds and trainer's children. But everyone can do pony racing!
As long as you like going fast and want to have lots of fun, ponies race against their own size and there are ponies of all shapes and sizes, some fast, some not so fast, and everyone is really friendly and helpful.
I have done the Pony Club racing and think it is amazing, you get to do everything as if you are a professional jockey. When you arrive you declare for your race and weigh out with you riding gear and saddle and collect your number cloth. Next all the competitors walk the course with a professional, no parents allowed.
Your pony is tacked up in the saddling up enclosure and goes to the pre parade ring for tack check while we, the jockeys wait in the weighing room.
When the ponies move to the parade ring where people can look at all the starters and choose who to bet on, £1 max each bet.
The commentator say a bit about everyone and we file out and wait with our ponies for the bell to ring so we can mount.
Once on I start to get really excited and we are all eying everyone up ready for the race. Then we are all escorted at walk to the start while the spectators go to the grandstand by the finish line. The commentator keeps chatting to the crowd until we finish the race.
At the start we all try to line up at a walk and are then allowed to get faster until the flag goes down and we are off at a gallop!
You can get so close to the other riders your stirrups hit against you. It's so exciting, the adrenaline pumping through you as you get in sight of the finish line. Then it's all over.
The first 4 go to the winner's enclosure but everyone has to jump off and weigh in.
Everyone that races gets a rosette as well as the top 4, often there are other prizes and hopefully your family have won their bets!
You don't need any special tack or cloths to start with; lots are using normal track and cross country colours. Racing doesn't start till mid day so you don't have an early start to your race day and entries are about the same as doing two show jump classes.
You get to ride at all the big race courses like Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and you race along the main straight in front of the grandstand just like all the professionals do, It's just brilliant, give it a go!